Original, 1930s-1940s vintage tin-litho display sign for use in gas stations and auto parts store found at yard sale.
A little research found that the Killark Electric Mfg. Co., of St. Louis Missouri was somewhat still in business — now part of HUBBELL Inc.
More interesting to me was the very clearly lithographed name of the display sign maker in the bottom.
Manufactured by “THE H.D. BEACH, CO.“, a company named for Henry Daniel Beach. Beach was the one-time owner of Standard Advertising Company.He then partnered with, and bought and sold various printing advertising businesses with a Mr. Meek. These included the “Meek and Beach Company”, which was sold to Mr. Meek and then to “American Art Works”.Mr. Beach then organizes the H.D. Beach Company in Coshocton, Ohio U.S.A., and manufactures enameled trays, lithographed signs, rulers, fly swatters and paint mixers.
A second corporation, The Beach Enameling Company, was formed in 1912 to manufacture tin and porcelain enameled thermometers for outdoor use.A consolidation of these two corporations was made in 1940 and the new corporation was named “The Beach Company”.
Since this piece is marked “THE H.D. BEACH, CO., COSHOCTON O. MADE IN USA“, I am fairly confident it was manufactured prior to the 1940 name change and appears to be vintage 1930’s, (and likely would have been used throughout the 1940’s and into the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s).
The Beach Company still exists (as of this writing) and produces “M-Line Calendars”. The company is still run by members of Henry “H.D.” Beach’s family.
This piece sold on eBay for $58.77 (USD) plus $12.65 shipping on December 22, 2013.